Marijuana use can have
physical,
psychological,
and spiritual
benefits:
PHYSICAL
BENEFITS
The Physical benefits of marijuana
are far-reaching, widespread, and long-term. Because of the way
marijuana impacts the Autonomic Nervous System which expands the
breath and relaxes the body, its potential for health and healing
are enormous, and have been completely unrealized by Western
Medicine. The following passages are excerpted from The
Benefits of Marijuana: Physical, Psychological, &
Spiritual:
The simultaneous opposing action of marijuana is akin to balancing
our entire system. Such balance in the ANS can be understood as a
charged equilibrium, which is defined as “well-being” experienced
as physiological expansion and psychological contentment and
responsible for health. (p. 29)
The net effect is a highly functioning, yet relaxed, system with
better fuel. This is why, with marijuana, the feeling is both
relaxed and alert, which explains, in part, the experience of
being “stoned.” Normally the body vacillates between the two
opposing modes of being. The effects of the complicated marijuana
molecule somehow actually integrate these two modes,
simultaneously, as absolutely nothing else does. (p.
30)
Although specific effects of marijuana in the body are well known,
each has been taken in isolation without noting that both sides of
the Autonomic Nervous System are conjoined. Instead of a
perspective that sees the whole person and the simple holistic
effect of marijuana, a myopic and reductionistic method of
measurement has been employed, and marijuana’s profound meaning
for health has been lost. (p. 31)
Marijuana, by its effect on the ANS, enhances both sides of the
brain. Through increased Sympathetic action, left brain perception
is heightened, while, at the same time, right brain reception is
enhanced. This is a physiological fact. More blood, and cleaner
blood, is sent to the brain, as in the “fight or flight” reaction.
And because of Parasympathetic dilation of capillaries, which
signifies relaxation, the blood supply to the entire brain is
increased. More blood means more oxygen and consequently clearer
and broader thinking. Since marijuana works on both sides of the
brain, the most noticeable effect, in our fast-paced mind set, is
one of slowing down, which blends the thrusting competitive
attitude with the contrasting viewpoint of nurturance to arrive at
a more cooperative balance. This experience is, however, not
innate to marijuana, but to the mental set of the subject. When we
are mellow, tired, and relaxed, marijuana is energizing and
affords alertness, determination, and even strength. This
variation in the physiological effects has caused great confusion
from an either/or framework. And the balancing nature of marijuana
(both/and) has not been understood. It both stimulates and
relaxes, simultaneously, which equates to an unpredictable
variation in effect that is solely dependent on the state of its
subject. When the system is sluggish, as with natives in warm
climates (Africa, India, South America), marijuana has been used
extensively and for centuries to energize it:
A common practice among
laborers... have a puff of a ganja (marijuana) pipe to produce
well-being, relieve fatigue, stimulate appetite. (Chopra and
Chopra, 1939, p.3)
When the system is hyper-aroused,
as in today’s lifestyle, marijuana calms. The significance of this
fact cannot be ignored. It explains the increased creativity
reported as a part of the marijuana experience, because when both
sides of brain processes are heightened, both types of brain
activity are greater. The left brain notices more, while the right
brain receives more. This is the unification of logic and
intuition. The term “expansion of consciousness” is explained
physiologically as a “shifting of brain emphasis from
one-sidedness to balance” (Sugarmena and Tarter, 1978), which fits
precisely with the feeling called “high.” (p. 35)
Marijuana ingestion has been shown to change the worried state by
producing alpha waves, experienced as well being. (p. 36)
When we ingest marijuana, the heart swells through capillary
enhancement and is fueled more by more fully oxygenated blood,
while, at the same time, its contractions and expansions are
greater, allowing for stronger pumping action to the rest of the
body (p. 37)
As rigidity in the body is released or reduced by the action of
marijuana, there is a corresponding reduction of mental tension
that translates into a feeling of expansion and well being and
explains the reverential attitude commonly expressed by marijuana
lovers. (p. 39)
As the body’s workings can become more harmonious with marijuana,
the functioning of the five senses can be noticeably improved
....In our discussion, the trigger to the high experience is
marijuana, but many other activities can also produce it, such as
jogging, chanting, fasting, isolation, meditation, and prayer. (p.
41)
The marijuana experience itself does not miraculously cure.
Instead, it allows the body a respite from the tensions of
imbalance, while exposing the mental confusion of the mind. The
marijuana experience of balance becomes a learned and, over time,
somewhat permanent response as the essential human tendency to
homeostasis is reawakened and the natural healing process
restored. (p. 49)
For a serious psychosomatic disease such as cancer, the benefits
to be derived from marijuana cannot be overstated:
1. The
causal element of unconscious (repressed) pain can be ferreted
out.
2.
The breath can be restored to fullness, thereby eliminating
directly the built up toxicity and, at the same time, enjoining
balance throughout the whole organism. A depressed system is a
weakened system, and since it works holistically, marijuana gives
strength where weakness exists, and expansion and relaxation where
there is contraction and
nervousness.
3. The more richly oxygenated blood that is in effect with
marijuana can help to cleanse the poisons at the cellular level.
4. And
a broader perspective through activation of the entire brain leads
to positive feelings and thus eliminates the usual and
debilitating attitudes so common in cancerhelplessness,
depression, fear, resignation, and dread. (p. 60)
Application of
Marijuana:
In a Costa Rican study, it was found that chronic marijuana
smokers who also smoked cigarettes were less likely to develop
cancer than cigarette smokers who didn’t use marijuana. Since
marijuana (smoking, as well as ingestion by other methods) dilates
the alveoli, toxins are more easily eliminated with cannabis use
regardless of its method of application. Nicotine, on the other
hand, constricts the alveoli, so it is likely that the use of
cannabis neutralizes, or even overwhelms the constriction, by its
own tendency to dilation ...As an aid for all psychosomatic
disease, marijuana can benefit the participant, generally because
of its health-restoring effects... The fear of
marijuana... stems from its limitless potential for treating
illness, in that both the pharmaceutical industry and the medical
monopoly would lose billions of dollars if marijuana became the
non-drug of choice. (p. 61)
PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS
When we balance the Autonomic
Nervous System, there is an effect on the mind that is both
energizing and relaxing SIMULTANEOUSLY. In other words, we can
think more clearly and more efficiently.
The following are
excerpts from The Benefits of Marijuana:
Natural feelings of expansion that correspond to favorable
perceptions, such as a sense of accomplishment, are experiences
common to us all, What makes marijuana unique and beneficial is
its ability to summon these states of well-being at will (p. 44)
We might suggest that those hundreds of millions of people around
the world who face marijuana to experience higher levels of life,
do so specifically because of the great import they ascribe to
being “ high,” i.e., feeling better, happier, more
expansive, and therefore more tolerant and compassionate. (p.
4545)
Whereas marijuana results in an “altered state of consciousness,”
the depressant drugs have been described as producing “altered
states of unconsciousness” (Sugerman and Tarter), allowing for
relaxation without awareness. (p.45)
Marijuana exposes things. When used over a period of time, it
allows us to witness our many subtle motives which, under normal
consciousness, are usually not noticeable. (p 46)
It was just this catalytic effect of marijuana to expose the
unconscious and increase the patient’s vulnerability, while
maintaining awareness and understanding that prompted
psychologists (in the 1960s and 1970s) to utilize marijuana
extensively in the therapeutic studies before the government ban
(P. 47)
With the expansiveness that occurs with marijuana, the subject may
begin to notice infinite possibilities to raise the quality of
his/her life that would otherwise have remained hidden from
normal, defensive consciousness. And feelings of health and
happiness naturally lead to hope, which of itself can be curative.
(p. 49)
Marijuana can act as the loosening agent, so that whatever has
been banned from consciousness may come cascading forth. To
uncover our deceptions without our usual rationalizations can be
unpleasant, an experience that has turned many psychologically
fragile individuals away from marijuana despite its therapeutic
catharsis. (p. 50)
Regardless of the model used, marijuana resolves conflict by
de-emphasizing extreme aggressiveness and stroking the receptive
sides of human nature. This unification or balance, however, may
be responsible for changes in goals and values. It Is the healthy
balancing nature of marijuana that is most beneficial to the
individual and most threatening to modern society. (p.
51)
When it first became popular in the West, marijuana was imported
mainly from tropical zones, where the sativa strain of cannabis is
indigenous. This type of marijuana is known for its “cerebral
high,” having little noticeable body participation. No studies
concerning the different effects of sativa vs. indica have been
done, but from the lack of physical sensation, it is reasonable to
assume more Sympathetic or stimulant qualities in sativa than
indica (a cooler climate type). This is compatible with the notion
that in hotter climates, less calming is desirable from a
recreational substance, since hot climates in themselves cause
lethargy. Many connoisseurs of marijuana prefer the sativa high,
although in the last decade it has become very scarce due to
domestic cultivation of strains that thrive in temperate zones
(and indoors). “Cerebral highs” are experienced as lightness of
thought beyond usual concern with self esteem. In relationships, a
cerebral high attunes the participants to a less separate sense of
themselves. Conversation is animated and a general feeling of
camaraderie is in the air.
The indica strain of cannabis offers more of the “body
high.” Depth rather than height best describes the
subjective experience. Rather than freedom in the mind, the felt
sensation is freedom of the body. This state more closely mimics
deep relaxation. Thought patterns do not approach the clarity of
thought of a “cerebral high.” In contrast, the “body high” is
similar to the reverie that precedes sleep. While thinking may be
diminished, more sensitivity to nonverbal experiences, such as
music and color, comes into play. Physiologically, a true “body
high” probably is the result of more Parasympathetic input.
Participants ofen become quieter, since internal silence
predominates.
Indica thrives in temperate areas, and as such it has become more
popular with the American marijuana farmer. It is a shorter
variety, thus it is more suited for the limits of indoor gardens
and comes to fruition earlier in outdoor gardens. In less tropical
zones, recreational substances are compatible with tempering the
bustle usual to cooler climate cultures. As horticultural interest
has grown, a cross between the indica and sativa species of
cannabis has given the modern marijuana user the subtleties of
both strains. Nowadays quality marijuana, grown in the US, is
usually a hybrid of the indica and sativa varieties. (p. 56)
Marijuana will not tolerate repression. Tranquilizers and
depressants relax the body and release tension, but the state of
mind associated with these drugs is “unconsciousness” whereby we
escape rather than resolve our dilemmas. Alcoholism is an extreme
need of both the body and personality periodically to release the
nervousness that has accumulated and continues to accumulate to an
unbearable degree. It serves the same function for the collective
personality for the society, as well A culture in which alcohol
and tranquilizers are the prevalent form of release prefers not to
witness internal confusion and actually choose to act without
conscious participation, maintaining a semi-numb condition. (p.
56)
SPIRITUAL BENEFITS
That which enlivens is understood
as the SPIRIT. In these times of secular values, when the life
force is not recognized as being an expression of the holy, when
in fact, the notion of a plane of existence beyond the material is
not acknowledged, the search for meaning nevertheless
perseveres.
Today, in these darkest of times,
hundreds of millions who pursue the journey inward to the
universal core values, find that marijuana facilitates the search.
As a religious sacrament, intuitively recognized by all for whom
the sacred beckons, marijuana has been employed for thousands of
years, crossing all geographical and ethnic barriers. Marijuana
not only balances the body, and enhances our mental processes, it
can also help (some of) us to perceive the abiding reality by
raising our consciousness.
The following are
excerpts from The Benefits of Marijuana:
Meditation Is the ultimate tool for self-knowledge In the East,
marijuana has been used to facilitate the process for millennia.
(p.47)
The uncovering of inner confusion, so prominent with marijuana, is
conspicuously absent with depressants. As the overall benefits of
insightfulness obtained from its use lead to a greater freedom,
marijuana is shunned by individuals who need a status quo in the
personality or social
position.
Sigmund Freud developed and expounded the understanding that we
mechanically base our actions on programs devised throughout life,
and many esoteric schools, ancient and modern, have taught the
same. Being aware of these programs is very difficult since
ordinary consciousness has within it the conspiracy to keep the
mind comfortable and free of conflict This operates collectively
as well as individually. Whenever confronted, this usual state of
mind automatically assumes a defensive posture by relying on
distorted rationalizations, which are evident in a repressive and
intolerant social order. By contrast, the open and aware
consciousness often leads to spiritual realizations, irrelevant in
mainstream thinking. In today’s world, this understanding is
uncommon. Higher morals and ethics, as propounded by organized
religions, are agreed upon by the masses, especially during church
attendance, but are otherwise too difficult to maintain when
personal survival is at stake. Universal spiritual values, so
often released with marijuana, can break down the conditioned
defensive mentality.
It
appears as if society, as well as the programmed, individual mind,
needs to hold in check the notion that we love our neighbor as
ourselves. There is no way that we can love our neighbor as
ourselves, nor any way that our economy can subscribe to a policy
of cooperation, when the very life of business enterprise is
dependent upon “profit first and foremost.” Cooperation within
free enterprise is a difficult reality so long as “me first”
remains the primary motivation. A neurotic society, with its
deeply imbedded habit of maladaptive coping methods, is resistant
to change. Marijuana can be of tremendous benefit in exposing the
distorted perspectives responsible for social, class, and racial
conflict It can open the “doors of perception,” and thereby after
the very core of the personality, by allowing a view of the
transcendent values of human life. (p. 57)
In the area of private values, marijuana may offer benefits beyond
the personal ego, which reach the dimension referred to by mystics
and saints as the ever-present “now.” The experience addresses
states of consciousness not common to the common man and resembles
Maslow’s “peak experience.” (p. 65)
To ascend the ladder of consciousness, human beings need as much
help as they can get. Levels of consciousness above concerns of
personal survival and power are neither necessary for human life,
nor visible from ordinary states. Because these higher degrees of
awareness threaten the power structure, all paths to them are
often outlawed. If we are not taught by some older, wiser person
that deep and timeless perceptions really exist (or unless we
ourselves fortuitously catch a glimpse of these subjective
realities), we remain ignorant of their existence and are easily
molded into the lower social goals of materialism, competition,
and power. This less enlightened state is expressed by a constant
gnawing dissatisfaction. It is the dimension of perennial desire.
With each fulfillment of a goal /need / want, another void erupts.
In Buddhism, it is the realm of nightmarish, insatiable hunger,
which cannot be resolved unless or until the being attains to a
less self-centered level. Deep within each of us, an essential
need for a higher meaning of life waits to be awakened. Because of
its ability to unlock this yearning and allow us a glimpse of the
deeper reality, marijuana is feared by the establishment and loved
by the user. (p. 66)
It is mainly because spiritual values are abandoned during eras of
materialism that marijuana is banned today. And, ironically, it is
because these values are so absent in the modern culture that the
marijuana experience is so ardently sought. (P. 67)
Perhaps investigation into the higher human values could not
surface in the industrial West until all imaginable physical,
psychological, and social dysfunction reached dangerous
proportions. (p. 67)
The Christian mystic de Chardin, explaining this same process,
says, “physical energy must be mastered and grounded for spiritual
energy to move, because physical energy transforms the spirit.”
(Ferguson) Within the deep recesses of human understanding, the
intuitive faculty steers its course. For many who are in touch
with this sixth sense, the realm of the spirit is supreme.
Anything that demonstrates a possibility for psycho/spiritual
uplifting is known to be sacred. Marijuana is so recognized and
revered. “Bhang brings union with the Divine Spirit.” (Indian Hemp
Commission) (p. 69)
“Through balance, with time and interest, marijuana can enliven
the Center of Knowing.” In the Theory of Vibration, this is
the sixth level of development known as the “Knowledge Center.”
What we refer to as the sixth sense, or intuition, derives from
this esoteric symbol, which very often is depicted as a third eye,
located at the midbrow. (p. 71)
As we have seen, many an argument against marijuana refers to the
non-competitive nature it engenders. During the Vietnam War, one
of the major problems of our soldiers was their inability to
accept the brutality of their own actions. Our young men
encountered marijuana at every turn in Asia (the Vietnam War was
the beginning of marijuana use in this country, since it was the
first time a status and educational cross section of America was
exposed to it), and their reaction was often not in keeping with
the insensitivity necessary for war. Their conscience bothered
them. Gaining higher values, such as compassion, cooperation, and
consideration, is a function of balance and a threat to a
militaristic society. If we all became aware of our conscience,
who would be left to maintain the indifference of the social
order. The more we uncover the spiritual element in our natures,
the more sensitive we become. Scrooge had no conscience until he
experienced the spirit He was surely happier and healthier after
his vision, but not wealthier, for his conscience dictated that he
share. His new-felt sensitivity did not result from rules, fear,
or his superego. It overflowed joyfully as an expression of his
higher state of being.
Marijuana’s contribution to the developing spirit is cumulative.
As bodily tensions are reduced mental fears dissolve, clearing the
way to greater insight But, until the direct effect (physical
balance) of marijuana on the body and the attendant side effect
(high) of marijuana on the mind become familiar, the alterations
themselves remain the focus of interest The “getting high” is the
end in itself, rather than the understanding and insight that
accrues a s the changed set becomes more a common. People who try
marijuana and reject it do so usually because they feel
uncomfortable and confused in altered, fuller consciousness.
Instead of life being safely framed by the rigidity of the
societal dogma, the wold becomes unfamiliarly bigger, brighter,
fuller, yet less manageable, more unpredictable and full of
mystery. A mind that has been bound and accustomed to a low charge
or a selling without light very often finds the expansiveness of
reality too highly energized. The light can be blinding and
disorienting. Over time, and with regular intake, when these
higher states of seeing are no longer the focal point of
attention, a restructuring of values may emerge. (p. 72)
